Notable Ingredients: Grains of Amber Vienna and a marginally smaller proportion of Cara-Munich

Style: "Grotto" or "Cave" beer.

Alcohol by Volume: 6.5%

Country: Belgium

The beer has a chestnut color; a huge, meringue-like head (marron glacé?); and big aromas reminiscent of oloroso sherry. It is dry at the front of the tongue, developing a medium to full body, with layers of maltiness. The flavors are drily toffeeish and honeyish. The finish is slightly medicinal, resiny, and very long.

Named after Thorfin Hausakliuuf, the seventh earl of Orkney who lived and ruled around 950 A.D., this burgundy-colored Strong Ale has an intense vinous nose with caramel and fruit aromas. Expect it to be creamy and satiny in the mouth with a long, toasty, dry finish. And while Viking warriors were not likely to gingerly sneak up on their opponents, this particular Norseman just might; weighing it at a mighty 8.5% ABV, this beer is so well balance...

This fine specialty Ale pours a rich orange color and presents a moderate off-white head. Our panel found the aroma to be refreshing and even uplifting, offering a flowery bouquet on the nose, with accents of honey and malt. The wonderful aroma of this beer is supplied largely by Scottish heather. Look for a distinct herbal quality in the flavor that is almost tea-like: this is the hallmark of the heather flower. Note how the light spices mix won...

Bert Grant’s Perfect Porter…the name says it all. One of the best porters we have tasted for quite some time. It is dark-brown, almost black in color, with a wonderful dark tan head. You will notice an aroma of dark chocolate, caramel and roasted, smoky malts. Expect loads of chocolate flavors in this porter, but also look for notes of roasted nuts and the slightest bit of a plum. This true-to-style porter is made with 5 distinct barley malts, an...

This was the first craft beer brewed in the Pacific Northwest. Keeping true to style, this Scottish ale is crafted from pale and caramel malts to achieve an authentic Scottish flavor. Breaking from tradition, it is then “seasoned” with Cascade hops from, where else, the Yakima Valley (80% of hops used by U.S. brewers come from this region). Look for an aroma filled with a malty sweetness as well as a fresh hop spiciness. Immediately note a malty ...

To the Iroquois, the native people of the Adirondacks, the word Saranac means“Cluster of Stars”. The Matt Brewing Company bottles their Saranac line of beers from the pure water that flows from the Adirondacks and the grains that grow in its unspoiled soil. Their Pale Ale is a wonderful example of a beer made with pristine natural resources and genuine craftsmanship. The inviting hopdriven aroma owes its sweetly floral nose to generous portio...

Many people like their black and tans to be layered, and usually, we do too. However, the flavors are so distinct from the component brews in this mixture that their flavors are retained and it’s almost as if the crafty folks at Matt Brewing Company have managed to bottle layered B&T’s! Actually, like any good B&T, the distinct flavors from Saranac Irish Stout (Black) and Amber lager (Tan) hold their own, but they also complement one another fabu...